Consideration
by didntsignupforthis
Summary: Beacon Hills probably, maybe, most definitely needs someone like Bonnie Bennett. Even Malia can agree with that.
1. Chapter 1

**Don't ask me what I'm doing. I don't even know.**

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Beacon Hills remained in an odd exhaust following the kitsune attacks, draining the town of its usual liveliness, and it was as if everyone could physically see the dusky ashes in which covered their town. Students trotted into Beacon Hills High School with sullen expressions, the chilling sensation of death and malevolent forces weighed them down. The teachers cast shifty eyes now and then, waiting for the moment that they were no longer safe, the moment where an evil entity would declare themselves and shove a hunting knife down their throats. New arrivals looked at the ward with slinted eyes, curiously glaring down the depressive student body and that eerie, palpable sense that terror had just struck. But this wasn't unusual, this wasn't anything new. This was just another Monday at Beacon Hills.

Slow hands trembled while opening their locker combinations. One pair of hands, in particular, proved to be slightly more twitchy than most as it fumbled with the combination they had thought was perfected in freshman year. He knocked his head against the cool metal just once, sinking into the feeling of emptiness that had been haunting him since last year. Other students had heard horror stories, had discussed their sympathetic comments with their friends, but he had to live through it - he had initiated it. He should've stayed home, he thought suddenly. He loved his friends; Scott, Lydia, Isaac, Kira, Malia - hell, even Liam sometimes, but he lacked the energy to participate in their "We Have A Problem" discussions that would inevitably ensue during their lunch period.

He began walking towards the front doors. Everyone had sick days, he figured. It's completely normal for him to need a mental health day, especially for someone with as many problems and post-traumatic stress as him. He had almost made it outside, too.

"Stiles!" He paused. Any other day he would've been ecstatic to hear this voice, his face would contort into a twisted kind of happiness and his arms would do a sort of twitchy awkward dance in surprise. Today, he just wished that it had been anyone else that caught him in the act. Slowly, he turned to face her.

"Lydia," He replied calmly. She flipped her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulders in that kind of I'm going to investigate this situation sort of way. He was displeased with himself as he looked down at her now, no longer feeling so anxious in her presence as he once was. She was supposed to be his anchoring back to reality, back into familiar feelings of hope and togetherness.

"Where the hell are you going?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest. The stark contrast of her bright green dress with her fiery hair made his eyes pop. She looked determined, in the usual Lydia Martin aspect, with pursed pink lips and a jutted hip. He sighed, already feeling himself begin to spill the truth. Damn banshee intuition.

"Let's just say it's not a good day for me. You of all people should understand." He mentioned. Lydia's increasing "sick" days certainly had not become lost on the pack. A significant piece of her heart died along with her best friend all those months ago. She could feel the emptiness as well as anyone else, she just had a better way of hiding it. Her eyes slinted.

"Does Scott know?" She asked. He stifled the incredulous groan that had nearly clawed it's way through his mouth. He loved his best friend more than anyone in the world, but lately, it's been apparent that he can't step two feet away without reporting back to him. His life didn't feel like just his anymore like it was shared amongst a pack of people. He shook his head.

"Don't tell Scott. Please, Lydia." He begged. She turned up her nose haughtily but silently agreed to help him. There were some things that Scott didn't need to know, he already had enough troubles as it was.

"Just don't expect no one to start trying to find you once they realize you're missing. I can hold back Scott, but Malia might resort to using her claws," said Lydia. He almost smiled. It progressed.

As he walked out of the school, he noticed an unfamiliar car pulled up in front, with new faces along with it. More people to add into the mix of chaos, he predicted. It was a girl and what looked to be her older sister. Stiles could hear them as he walked into the parking lot.

"It's a new school, not the end of the world." The older looking one said. She placed a manicured hand carefully onto the girl's shoulder.

"I know, but...don't you think something is off here? You don't feel that?" The younger one asked in a much softer voice. Stiles didn't get to see her face, she turned towards the school and was replaced by a mass of thick, brunette hair.

"Feel what?"

Stiles didn't stick around to understand what the new girl meant. He hurried along to his broken down, blue-green Jeep; his only constant in life, it seemed. At least, when his car broke down he could predict that it would. And he could fix it.

Stiles never was one to stray too far from the crowd, he knew that the extrovert in him needed to feed on other's energy, but tonight he had to satisfy his inner introvert. It only happened a rare amount of times where he needed to seclude himself where no one - not even Scott McCall- could find him and it was the perfect spot. Just on the outskirts of town, before entering the most scandalous part of California, where women prowled in party dresses and cameras flashed on every corner, there was a lone shop, one that you would need to look twice at before noticing that it was there in the first place. It was an old little place owned by a woman named Kelly, a beautiful middle-aged mother. The rare times that he did walk in, she would sometimes tell him that he reminded her of her son, Matthew. He didn't know if it were because he liked having a mother figure have an interest in him or because he was lonely, but he loved every minute of consoling in her.

He arrived in the shop as it was bustling with customers, which, if you knew the shop, meant about five or six people. He parked his Jeep on the dirt beside the place. It wasn't located on an actual foundation with a parking lot, just sitting there between grass, trees, and the road. Easy to forget, which was exactly what he needed. Before getting out, he made sure to leave his phone in the car. He knew that if he saw Scott calling, he'd have to answer it, it was like an uncontrollable tick.

It was a small place, but extremely homely. The sign atop of the roof read: Victoria's, in a chipped pastel pink against the white background. The windows displayed pink designs of tea cups on each window and the door had the name of it once again. He didn't hesitate in opening the door. The charmed ring of bells chimed above his head, alerting the entire shop of his arrival. Behind the counter, Kelly turned her head to face the door and then smiled. Stiles headed straight towards the counter and sat on the blue stool.

"Stilinski. It's never good news when you walk in here. You alright, kid?" She asked, wiping the counter in the meanwhile. He looked up at her and smiled. She had a certain glow about her that compelled you to smile along with her, laugh with her. Her brunette hair matched his in every aspect and it gave him a fleeting thought that she would've been a great mother to him. Tossing the thought aside, he rested his head upon the counter and peered up at her through heavy eyelids.

"You ever feel...empty?" He asked. Kelly paused, then tossed the rag to the side. She leaned down to his level and frowned.

"Empty like I'm missing something or empty like there's nothing there to begin with?" She asked. Stiles thought about it for a few seconds. Kelly was patient.

"Empty like something's been stolen from you." He sighed, loving the cool feeling of the marble on his cheek. Kelly smiled to herself, a sad kind of smile that you'd only expect to see on grandparents when they reminisced about their lives. Stiles hadn't the slightest clue what happened in her life, but it looked like it hurt.

"I had my entire life stolen from me, Stiles. What's going on with you?" She asked. Stiles sat up at her first statement, but she looked adamant to ignore it altogether. He sighed again.

"Let's just say, I miss feeling complete," He said. Kelly squeezed his shoulder, then pat his cheek.

"This calls for the double fudge sundae with whipped cream." He immediately began reaching into his pockets. "Don't worry, kid, it's on the house." She stopped him. He smiled and muttered a quick thank you before she rushed to the back in the kitchen. His head fell back to the counter.

He wished he could vent to her about the Nogustine possessing him, making him do things that he'd never dream of doing. She had a way about her that made his problems seem so minuscule that sometimes he even believed it. She was so sweet, so nice, so warm and friendly, like...

Allison.

That was his real problem. How could he live with himself knowing that he's the reason why Allison Argent is dead? He rid the world of one of the best people to ever grace his rundown little town. His best friend's first love. Lydia's best friend. Isaac's almost-girlfriend. He had so much grief inside of him and nowhere to place it. He tried crying, in every place he could think of, his bedroom, his kitchen, his shower, his backyard, the school bathroom - his sadness never let up and he still felt half-dead inside.

Kelly sat his sundae down in front of him with a pink spoon. He started eating immediately, stuffing his face with ice cream, anything to make himself feel better.

"When I was your age, my mother walked out on me." Kelly began, perching herself on one of the stools she had behind the counter. "No explanation, really, she just left. I was stuck with my father who, let me tell you, was not too kind on letting me feel complete. I never felt complete. I had a drinking problem. I..." Her eyes clouded over. "I did something very wrong and I'll always regret it. I had my childhood stolen from me, Stiles. That wasn't easy for me. But you, you have so many years to get it right. Through everything, through the heartbreak and absolute torture of emptiness, I learned something." She said. Stiles stopped eating, focusing on her words. "If you don't forgive yourself, you will never move on with your life. You can't sit here moping. You shouldn't be sitting here talking to some old lady, kid. You should be out there searching for that piece of yourself that's missing, whether it be in someone else or an activity. You can't eat that sundae your whole life. If you want it, you have the courage and the strength to go out there and get it for yourself."

Stiles smiled. He wishes it were as simple as she was putting it, but there was no way he'd ever fill the void inside of him. Still, he continued to be impressed by Kelly with every visit.

"Why is your son never in here?" He asked after the silence that had ensued from her speech. There was something that seemed off about her then, something that gave away that she was uncomfortable with the question, a tick or a reflex. She hid it all with a smile.

"He's busy," She put simply.

Stiles knew that there was more that she wasn't telling him, but he left it as it was. She respected his silence, so he'd respect hers. For a long moment, he allowed the comforting grip of serenity latch onto him and embrace him like an old friend would. Kelly was busying herself with tending to the needs of other customers and answering phone calls. He busied himself with challenging one of the old regulars in the cafe in an intense game of chess that took nearly two hours, mostly because Stiles refused to lose at chess to someone old enough to be his great-grandfather. Then, he volunteered to help Kelly clean up around the shop. He knew she didn't have much help from anyone else. No one would willingly agree to work in such a place, outside of town and outside of the city. There were practically in the middle of nowhere, where civilization passed through to get towards the next point. Kelly was gracious enough to slide him a crisp twenty in his hand as he passed her by. He didn't deserve someone as amazing as Kelly.

"Were you born in Beacon Hills?" He asked once they had settled down again. She shook her head.

"North Carolina. Then, I moved to Virginia. Now, I'm here." She explained. Stiles twisted his face. From Virginia to California with no explanation? It almost seemed as if she were running from something.

"In the worst town in California. You were probably better off in Virginia." He muttered. Her look suggested otherwise.

"My husband used to speak so fondly of Beacon Hills. He went to your school, you know. He said it was one of the best experiences of his life, said the people were nice. So far, he hasn't been wrong. This place is full of nice people and nice families. You don't know how good you have it, Stiles." Said Kelly. He scoffed. "I'm serious. At least, your heart is still pounding, Stilinski."

Stiles made a mental note of her words and how easily they flowed from her mouth.

 _At least, your heart is still pounding, Stilinski._

He knew those words would linger through the back of his mind for years to come. This woman was like a free therapist.

"Is your middle name Victoria?" He asked. She chuckled, then shook her head, green eyes sparkling as if she got the question all the time.

"Victoria is my daughter. She died a few years ago. She was eighteen, but would've been twenty-five this year." She mentioned. "And I'm sure she would prefer it if I had addressed her as Vicky."

"I'm...I'm so sorry. If you don't mind me asking, how -"

"Murder. They, um, found her body washed up along the river of Mystic Falls. She had a giant wound in her torso like she'd had a piece of wood pushed right through her. No one ever reopened that case. No need to, I suppose." She muttered. Stiles fiddled with his hands. It reminded him of Alison.

"And you're okay with not knowing who would want to murder your daughter? Why did they want to do it? What their intentions were?" He questioned.

"Of course not. Had I known that, I'd be subjected to a revenge plot. My daughter is dead. Nothing left to do about it but grieve and try to move on with my life, what little is left of it." She told him. He frowned, placing his head back down on the counter.

"You're a good woman, Kelly." He complimented. If only his father could meet someone like her. They'd have the greatest family game nights.

He couldn't tell when, but his eyes closed on their own as he daydreamed more scenarios.

One in which him, Kelly, and his dad was sharing popcorn at the movie theater. Another in which Kelly stayed up with his father, helping him sort through piles of cases. Maybe his father could help her find out what happened to her daughter the day she was murdered. Maybe she'd meet Ms. McCall and become best friends with her, set up days to drink wine and bitch about him and Scott all night. Maybe Allison could somehow regenerate and come back to life, so everything could go back to normal and he wouldn't have to feel like human garbage. Since he was bringing people back to life, maybe his real mother could regenerate along with Allison. He knew she'd like Kelly as much as he did, they were so similar. Maybe Erica and Boyd could come back to life, too. He could go back to the start when things weren't so damn difficult.

A loud 'bang' scared him awake. Kelly's hand was placed firmly on the counter beside his resting head. He turned, confused. The sky was dark and lit with a half moon and constellations of stars. It felt like he had only rested for one second rather - he glanced at the clock above Kelly - five hours. He shook himself out of his haziness and thanked Kelly for letting him stay for so long.

"See you next time, kiddo. Remember what I said." She waved. He waved back.

"Couldn't forget it if I tried." And oh, he would try.

He raced back into his car and started the engine. His phone rang. Right, he forgot he left it on the seat. The screen read: Malia. He sighed, then swiped the screen to answer.

"Stiles, you _idiot_! You think you can just take vacations without saying anything to anyone?" She yelled. He pulled the phone from his ear until he was sure she'd stop yelling.

"Malia, calm down."

"You left me here all by myself!" There was a scoff in the background. "Okay, _fine_ , with Scott. I'm not good with people, Stiles, and I need you to hold me back when I get the urge to rip out someone's jugular!" Malia continued on with her rant.

"That's very descriptive, Malia."

"Thank you, I learned it in Anatomy."

"Don't worry, I'm on my way back right now. Tell Scott he can stop pacing." Stiles said. Malia whispered in the background for Scott to stop pacing around the room. "Where are you two?" He asked.

"I'm in Scott's room. He's having a temper tantrum because he hasn't seen his boyfriend in, like, fifteen hours." Malia giggled. In the background, he could hear Scott arguing with her over the phone. "Speaking of which, your special someone wants to speak with you." He could hear her hand over the phone.

"Scott, before you start with me, let me just say this -"

"Are you alright?"

"-I'm sorry for taking off so...wait. What'd you say?"

"Stiles, are you doing alright?" He repeated the question. Stiles had a small smile traced over his lips. He didn't know why he had expected some kind of lecture about the importance of a pack staying together or even a short scold for being M.I.A, but this was surprising.

"Yeah. Of course. Just went out to get a sundae." He answered. Scott let out a relieved sigh.

"That's all I wanted to know. See you when you get back, bro." He ended the call. Stiles smiled as he dropped his phone and began driving his car out of the grass and into the road.

The roads were unusually calm at this time of day. He was afraid he'd get caught in the hectic traffic of cars trying to get home from work and school. Instead, he was thankfully met with only a few other cars going in the same direction as him. It was turning out to be an okay day, he even bopped his head along to a top 40's hit on his way to his house. His father wasn't home yet, so he dragged himself into his room and thanked God Malia wasn't there to smother him with affection. He still needed time to himself. It somehow made him wonder what she was doing at this time in Scott's bedroom.

Probably nothing. He and Kira seemed to be headed towards something serious - whatever it might be.

He went to sleep that night with one irritating thought that he would soon to be getting used to.

 _At least, your heart is still pounding, Stilinski._

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 **I started writing and this is what happened, so I thought I should share it.**

 **Not that you all care. I've never written Teen Wolf before, please don't judge me so harshly lol.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm all for a Bonnie/Lydia friendship. Can you imagine?**

 **Anyway.**

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It had been such a long time since Stiles had been to the counselor's office. There was a pale woman behind the desk this time with long blonde hair. He hadn't even noticed her before. Now, she was lecturing him about why his grades have been on such a downward slope. If he could, he'd say that he was recently possessed by an evil kitsune spirit and caused the death of a former student. Maybe then she would get off of his back.

"You barely have any service learning hours. That should be your main focus this year." She said. Stiles knew he should've knocked them all out before he got any deeper into this werewolf madness. "You could volunteer at the hospital." He thought of Ms. McCall. That would be easy hours. "And - hey! - we actually would need a tutor if you're up for it. If your classes know that you're tutoring, they give you more time to complete your work."

He thought about it. He never was that good of a tutor, not even to his own...Malia. But if it would get him some time to get his work done, he'd give it a chance.

"So, what, I just drive down to some middle school after the school day and gain some hours?" He asked. The woman shook her head. It had occurred to Stiles that he hadn't bothered to learn her name.

"Um, no, actually. I actually need for you to do me a solid and catch our new student up on the curriculum here. She's not from around here and with all the seniors stressing out, I just figured you would benefit from this more so than others. You two can discuss which days work best for you, but you could get from one to five hours each week. This is a sweet deal, Stiles. I wouldn't let it pass you by." She explained. Five hours each week? He'd earn his hours in no time.

"No, I'm total with you on this. Where is this new girl? What's her name?" He asked. She handed him a schedule. The top of it read: _Bonnie Bennett, Senior_. Her classes were insane, each being either honors or AP with no free period. There's no way he could help with this.

"She's a freaking genius. What would she need me for?" He asked, ready to throw the paper into the trash. She sighed while tapping her slender fingers on the desk.

"She came to me exclusively asking for a tutor. It's not up to me, Stiles. If you do choose to do it, I suggest you find her and make that clear."

"Alright. Thanks, um, Miss." He scurried out of his chair and through the doors before the awkwardness of not knowing her name would ensue. As he walked back towards his locker, he noticed Kira and Isaac, leaned over each other, whispering in frantic voices. His eyebrows furrowed. He never really did step back to notice that those two had become significantly closer to each other over the last few weeks. Maybe he'd see them sharing notes in study hall or eating off the other's tray during lunch, but he figured they were just extremely used to the other after all this time. It feels like it's been forever.

He said hey as he passed them. They turned to him, both with guilty looking smiles on their face as they waved him down. He shook his head and kept walking. He was sure Scott would get to the bottom of that in no time if he wasn't - his eyes shifted towards Scott's locker - fraternizing with Malia in the exact same manner.

He couldn't wrap his mind around what the actual hell was going on.

Next thing he knew, Lydia would be...talking to Liam. His eyes widened as the pair skipped by him, chatting rapidly about something he couldn't exactly make out. He realized that the puppy was officially a part of the pack, but what could he and Lydia possibly have to say to one another?

He opened his locker, confused. Then, Malia walked up to him in that cute, bouncy, new-to-having-human-limbs walk that only she could pull off.

"We're still going to your place after school, right?" She asked. He nodded his head. He never canceled his plans with them, not once. Malia grinned. "Great. Matthew from English asked me out. I didn't know what to say, so I told him I'd get back to him. Now, I have a valid excuse with evidence and witnesses. No offense to Matthew, I'm sure he's a great guy underneath all those pimples." She exclaimed. He smiled at her. She was adorable. He should've been threatened or jealous, but they had never put labels on anything. She had just gone out with some other guy the previous week. He was oddly alright with her catching up on the nine years that she'd missed out on.

"Happy to help. By the way, what the hell are you and Scott talking about over there?" He finally asked. Malia shrugged.

"Nothing," She said too quickly for his liking. "Just homework and stuff. He's helping me study, you know. I like his notes, they're simple." She explained. Stiles squinted. Scott took simple notes? He would have accepted it for now. "See you at lunch!" She scurried off back beside Scott.

Lunch was slightly less irritating. There were no longer strict pairs of random twos, at least. He sat in between Kira and Malia. Scott was in front of him with Lydia to his right and Isaac to his left. The table discussions today was Liam nearly blowing his cover in front of the school. Him and his damn temper tantrums. Everyone added in their designated input about the issue, leaving an empty silence to plague them. He decided it was his turn to say something.

"I'm becoming a tutor," He announced. Lydia's eyes widened. She leaned in closer as if she hadn't heard him the first time. She just needed verification. Stiles rolled his eyes. "It's for community service hours. It was a sweet deal, really, besides the fact that the girl I'm going to tutor is a Lydia-esque super genius." He elaborated. Scott smiled.

"Kinda makes me feel guilty about taking the easy route and making my mom fill out all those fake sheets of volunteer hours at the hospital. Kinda. I'm proud of you, though, Stiles." He reached across the table to dab his shoulder.

"Am I the only one hearing this right? Stiles is in charge of another human's education. Don't you think the poor girl is, I don't know...doomed?" Isaac chuckled. Stiles squinted at him. Lydia rolled her eyes.

"This coming from the boy who dropped out of AP history?" Lydia sassed. Isaac crossed his arms, defensive.

"No one told me how to do the freaking document based questions. I winged it, it wasn't my fault." He explained. Kira stole a french fry from his plate and stuffed it into her mouth. Malia leaned into his vision.

"You tutored me for, like, weeks. Couldn't you have gotten these 'hours' from that?" She presented an interesting question. Stiles could've cried. Why hadn't he thought of this sooner? "Also, why do we need 'hours'? Hours of what?" She asked. The table shared a collective groan. She still had so much to learn.

"What? No one tells me anything!" Malia gesticulated her arms outwards comedically. The table laughed at her, but it was Scott who kept it semi-serious.

"Don't worry, I'll fill you in," He promised, relieving her frantic mind. Somehow, Stiles felt that that should've been his line to say. He looked around to see if anyone had caught it, but Kira and Isaac were play fighting from across the table and Lydia was blushing down at her phone screen. Stiles still didn't understand what the hell was happening and quite frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to anymore. He had been so closed off from his pack that he barely knew what was going on with them anymore. He was thinking that their special pack time tonight would change that.

It was Liam's idea, surprisingly - pack night. He was finally getting overwhelmed with his Beta duties and suggested that they just hang out for a night at Scott's house. They did. It was a relaxing night, to say the least, so they made it an annual thing. The beginning weekend of every month, they had been having pack night - alternating between everyone's houses. Sleeping bags were essential, as were snack foods and plenty of games to pass the time. This night Stiles would be the host and he was praying that it wouldn't become awkward. Everyone could tell that there was something off about him. He just hoped he could make it through just one pack night without someone making a passive aggressive comment about his silence.

He ditched the seventh period to wander the hallways for a bit. He liked the sound of his shoes pounding against the school floors when there weren't dozens of other shoes beside him. He loved that no one interrupted him, even if what he was doing wasn't allowed. He was nearing the main hallway when he heard someone familiar.

"Lucy, I can't do it." The soft voice complained. Stiles noticed the mass of brunette hair in his vision. "Well, it's not exactly better. I don't even know anyone." She whispered. He unconsciously slowed his pace. She was leaning her head against the lockers, one hand slumped beside her, the other holding her cell phone to her ear. "No, but it's not like anyone is jumping through trees to notice I'm here, either." She hit her head against the lockers, then yelped, immediately regretting that decision. Stiles smirked.

As if she could feel his amusement with her, she turned.

"Lucy, I'll see you at home." She ended the call and placed the phone in her bag, still looking at Stiles as he looked at her. "Uh...hi. Do I know you?" She asked, eyeing the rest of the hallways suspiciously. Stiles was caught off-guard by how great she looked, not that he was expecting a troll or anything, but... _wow._

"Um, no, I was...I was just...I was not staring at you is what I was doing, I was just casually passing by in this general -" He gestured to the walkway dramatically, "Vicinity and happened to see you there talking on the, uh, phone. Nice to meet you! I'm Stiles." He stretched his hand out to her. She put her hand in his tentatively.

"Bonnie. Nice to meet you." She greeted, shaking her hand in his. She was very dainty in comparison. Stiles had to group that into his memory because most girls generally overpowered him. Then, he realized. Bonnie Bennett, his student for the next month or so. Before he could mention this fact, she swiped her hand out of his and adjusted her bag.

"I actually have to get to class. I've missed so much already, I can't exactly afford to ditch anymore. I'll see you, Stiles." She smiled once more before racing down the hallway, going the completely wrong direction, Stiles noted. He waited until she stopped and realized she was running towards the main entrance to laugh at her misfortune. She turned, flustered, then did an awkward jog back past him. "Just getting a running start."

He laughed as she ran opposite of him. Okay, so she definitely was not a mini Lydia Martin, at least not based off of first impressions. His just hopes that when he shows up to tutor her tomorrow she won't seriously consider him being a stalker.

* * *

"Stiles, you have to get in on this," said Isaac from his living room couch. His hands were furiously pressing buttons from the remote controller and his eyes were so locked in on the game, he hadn't noticed Stiles' look of indifference. Beside Isaac, Liam was making slower, more calculated moves on his controller. Stiles could already tell that Liam would win again, he was a natural at video games, especially enhanced with his wolf senses.

"Maybe later, guys," He told them, walking back towards his kitchen where Malia and Lydia were in the midst of some debate that had both of them rolling their eyes. They had barely noticed him there. Lydia held her phone up towards herself and made a duck-face.

"It's called a selfie, Malia. You can't have a phone and not know what a selfie is." Lydia judged, then handed her phone to Malia, who held it like a newborn. "You try," She ordered. Malia twisted the phone in her hands, then flinched when she saw her face in it, glowing with some filter.

"Weird," She mumbled.

"Not weird. New. Now, just smile into it and press that button right there. Okay. Okay, yeah, you got it. Less creepy, though. Cmon, turn to me." Lydia turned Malia's shoulder towards herself and took her phone, turning it on Malia.

"What are you doing now?" Malia groaned. Lydia smirked, eliciting a long pause in the room. Stiles felt uncomfortable watching them as they stared.

"You're really beautiful, Malia," She said. As much as Malia didn't want to give in and smile predictably, she couldn't help it because she could tell Lydia wasn't lying to her. Steady heartbeat and all. Stiles crossed his arms, taking in both the girls that have kissed him and then shown zero interest in dating him. Lydia snapped the shot and showed it to her.

"Hey. It doesn't look half bad. So, what now? How do you put this on, um...Entergram?" She asked. Lydia face-palmed.

"Instagram, sweetheart."

Stiles snorted. When had those two become so close? Both their heads turned towards him.

"Did you call for the pizza yet?" Lydia asked. He nodded. He needed to order six of them, all varying in flavor and topping because he had the pickiest pack anyone could ask for.

A loud shout startled the trio. Through the glass sliding door to his backyard, he caught Kira and Scott practicing lacrosse. Scott was on his back as Kira danced around him, expertly twirling the lacrosse stick as she would a sword.

"And Kira Yukimura wins once again! The crowd goes wild! Woo!" She yells while tapping around him. They shared a collective laugh as they stared at the pair. Malia and Lydia take that as their cue to join the two in the backyard. Stiles just stands there, thinking of how paranoid he was being earlier. Everything seemed fine. Different, sure, but fine.

When the pizza arrived, it was already gone. He had to fight his way to get his measly two slices. Malia challenged Scott to a pizza eating contest, earning a distasteful look from Lydia and approving adulation from the guys. Lydia, however, reluctantly clapped when Malia beat her alpha with seconds to spare.

Since it was Kira's choice for the movie, they have gathered around his couch half-watching a romantic comedy with Jennifer Lopez in it. Lydia was on the end of the couch, texting someone. Liam was in the middle, looking to be genuinely enjoying Kira's movie pick, but once anyone looked over to him, he'd pretend as if he weren't staring at the screen. Isaac was next to Liam with a stale face considering he wanted to watch a horror film. Underneath Lydia, Malia and Scott sat beside each other, almost snuggling as they struggled to keep their eyes open. Kira was under Isaac, hitting his leg every time he complained about the movie and made sure he kept his eyes on the screen - however, his eyes always found their way back to her. They either weren't telling each other something or they just weren't telling Stiles.

The movie was nearing the ending credits and everyone was about sleep. Kira fell asleep against Isaac's leg. Isaac was passed out, head facing upwards in the most uncomfortable looking position with slob falling down his open mouth and Liam's legs on his lap. Lydia had swatted Liam away every time he so much as breathed near her, but as she dozed off she accepted his head on head on her lap and placed her legs on his lap. On the floor, Malia and Scott had a blanket thrown over them now and they were lying side by side, Scott's arm wrapping her close to him. And then there was Stiles, awake on the loveseat, watching it all unfold. His father walked through the door quietly, only managing to make a few of them stir. On instinct, he closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. He could hear his father stop, the move on.

He was definitely getting to the bottom of this in the morning.


End file.
